First-Time Flier
by Lindous
Summary: When Link met his loftwing for the first time, people knew by looking that he and his loftwing had had a special connection. What they didn't know is how meeting his loftwing had helped Zelda. Oneshot.


There was a serene warmth in the array of colors which sun cast over the cloud cover. As the sun rose further into the sky, soft rays of orange light poured over Skyloft, and streaming into the courtyard where the statue of the goddess stood. There was a crisp, winter chill in the air.

Gaepora smiled as he looked up the stairs leading to the courtyard. Today was a sacred day; only once ever four years did the loftwings gather in the statue's courtyard in order to chose their new fliers. As young children who had begun to attend the academy, each no more than about ten years old, gathered around Gaepora, they all began to walk up to the courtyard as a group.

"Look at that one! He's gold!"

"I've never seen one fly so close before!"

"He's beautiful! Look Pipit!"

"Look at his talons! He must be fierce!"

"He looks a little bit like an owl!"

As many of the kids looked and pointed at the bird in awe, Gaepora nodded.

"That one is my loftwing," he said softly.

A young Fledge smiled and held his hand up to keep the sun out of his eyes. His long blue poncho ruffled as he raised his arm.

"Wow," Fledge said. "He's amazing! I hope that a loftwing like that one chooses me!"

This statement was quickly followed by a snort from Groose. "Why would a loftwing like that chose you? It's not like you're even strong. And neither of your parents were even knights!"

Fledge turned dark red and stared at his shoes while Groose, Stritch, and Cawlin began to laugh almost hysterically.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" a small voice called. A young Pipit stepped forward. "You leave him alone, Groose! How do you know if you can even become a knight?"

"Because both my parents were knights, dummy! How could I not be a knight?"

Karane rolled her eyes before stepping forward with a small fist raised. "Will both of you be quiet? I wanna see the loftwings fly in! Groose, you stop being mean to Fledge, or I'll bash your face in!"

Groose stepped back with his hands raised. "Whatever Karane," he said quietly.

"And Pipit! Stop being so bossy!" Karane commanded. Pipit blushed for a moment before nodding.

* * *

As the sun rushed further into the sky, loftwings began to flock and swarm beneath the goddess statue. Several loftwings were circling above the courtyard, and several hundred were already perched on and around the stone shrine itself. Blues, golds, browns, greens; they perched wherever there was room.

At last the loftwings seemed to settle down, and a single splash of red color appeared among the ranks. The crimson loftwing was both the last bird to arrive and the only bird that could not sit still.

Zelda wore a simple white dress, scarf, and stockings. She held Link's hand gingerly, and her other hand was locked to her father's hand. She shied slightly away from the gathering loftwings, looking frightened by their presence. The loftwings watched the children in curiousity as more members of Skyloft came into the courtyard to witness this event.

"Magnificent..." Gaepora said, staring at the red loftwing. There were loud murmurings from the citizens as the crimson loftwing curiously fluttered down toward marble pillars where the children stood. The inhabitants of the courtyard fell completely silent.

Zelda let go of Gaepora's hand and ducked behind Link, shivering. "This is scary," she said quietly, whispering into his ear. "These loftwings are so big...aren't you afraid Link?"

Link looked up at the crimson loftwing as it seemed to look over the children, and shook his head at Zelda's words.

Groose proudly strode forward as the loftwing seemed to hop nearer to the kids. The loftwing looked over Groose for a moment before giving him something between a hiss and grunt, and moving past. Groose stared after the bright red bird, jaw-dropped and truely dumbfounded. Fledge and Pipit had to contain their laughter.

The loftwing seemed to slowly waddle toward where Link and Zelda were standing, its wings glued to its sides. As it came closer, Zelda ducked further back behind Link, clinging to his white sweater. The bird bowed slightly so that it could look at Link to his eyes before it thrust its beak beneath his arm and cooed softly.

Zelda screamed when the bird's beak was suddenly right beside her, and she scrambled backwards in her haste to get away from Link and the loftwing. The loftwing jumped in surprise from the scream, yanking its head away from Link and flapping madly.

"Shhh! Its okay..." Link said softly. The red bird glanced down at him for a moment before allowing its feet to once again rest on the ground and folding its wings into its sides.

The entire courtyard was silent. Link slowly stepped near his bird before he began to stroke its beak, then its feathers, and then slowly climbing onto its back.

"Be careful," Gaepora said. "A loftwing is unpredictable when it first meets its master..."

As if on cue, the bird took off. As the bird and its rider began to ascend into the air, Link's eyes widened. There was a sudden rush of air as the loftwing took to the sky, and Link clung to its feathers as if for dear life.

"Hey!" he yelled over the wind. "Go back! You scared my friend! We have to go back!" He thought back for a moment on the basic flying that he had heard about from other knights. One of them had said to lightly dig your feet into the sides of the bird in order to go downward.

"Go back!" Link shouted, kicking the bird in the sides with each foot. The bird seemed almost to have yelped in surprise. It turned back long enough to glance at Link for a brief second, and then began a full-fledged dive toward Skyloft.

"Slow down! Slow down!" Link screamed in terror, and the bird dove past Link.

* * *

Gaepora watched as Link and his loftwing gracefully ascended and then fell into a dive that only an expert knight would take.

"He didn't need any instruction!" he cried in awe.

* * *

"Stop!" Link yelled. His bird had begun to fly in parabolas to try and shake Link off long enough to scare him.

"Okay, fine! See if you can scare me!" Link yelled over the wind. The bird glanced back again, as if in affirmation to Link's challenge, before falling into another dive. This time, the loftwing began to fly into loops and corkscrews.

"Keep trying!" Link yelled, hanging onto the feathers. The loftwing began to fly in parabolas while twirling.

Link's hands slowly slid loose of the feathers, and to his terror Link began to plumet toward the clouds. The crimson loftwing was too distracted with its antics to realize that it no longer had a passenger. As the loftwing stopped for a moment to catch its breath before more tricks, it paused long enough to realize that Link was no longer on its back.

Looking downward, the crimson loftwing saw Link falling and waving his arms, and began to dive toward him. Link felt himself land on top of something firm yet soft before he realized that his loftwing had come back for him.

"Whoa..." he murmured softly, and began to stroke the loftwing's feathers. The Crimson loftwing turned and began to glide back toward the statue of the goddess, and Link glanced upward to notice that a soft, blue loftwing had fallen into wing with his.

* * *

The wind swished gently past Link and his loftwing, ruffling his hair and blowing his red scarf back behind him. Hours had passed since Link had first begun to fly with his loftwing, and the indigo loftwing still remained in flight beside his crimson loftwing, every now and then they seemed to chirp at each other, exchanging words like long-time friends.

Link closed his eyes. It was so serene up in the sky. To fly slowly, the breeze was gentle and refreshing, and the view of the islands was incredible. No wonder people needed their loftwings; to live in the sky and not know what it was like to fly was like being blind!

As the sun slowly sank toward the horizon, Link smiled and pointed toward Skyloft. The loftwings both angled their wings and turned toward Skyloft, while Link's loftwing seemed let out an almost-purr.

* * *

Zelda quietly began to write in her journal, her quill making small, quick, scratching noises that was the only sound in her bedroom. No loftwing had chosen her, and she felt as if it were better that way.

Her father was nearly beside himself. Loftwings only gathered to chose their masters once every four years, and Gaepora did not want his daughter to miss out on such an experience as meeting her loftwing. Zelda had quietly told him the it was okay, she didn't want a loftwing as badly as the other kids, and that she really didn't like them anyway.

Gaepora reluctantly looked down at his daughter and nodded, noticing that it was getting colder out and that the residents of Skyloft were leaving for their houses. He brought her back to her room at the academy, and wordlessly left her to her own devices while he tired to think of why no loftwing would chose her.

Zelda continued to write, depressed by the days events, when a beak suddenly and forcefully opened her window. As the beak of an indigo loftwing came through her window, Zelda screamed and jumped back out of her chair, landing sprawled across the floor.

The red loftwing's face came out of the window, and was quickly replaced by Link's.

"Hey," he said softly. His cheeks were tinged red from the cold. He back his face out of the window far enough to see him beckon for her to come out. Zelda ran up to her window and looked outside, seeing Link on his crimson loftwing and the blue loftwing beside him.

Link pointed over at the blue loftwing. "This one seems to like you. It even found your room."

Zelda stared at the indigo loftwing, her jaw hanging slightly open. "He's beautiful..." she said with quiet resolve. "But...Link, they scare me."

Link smiled and held out his hand to Zelda. "Don't be afraid," he whispered. Zelda took Link's hand and climbed out of her room through the window, and Link helped her mount the indigo loftwing.

Both birds simultaneously began to ascend as their riders were ready, flying gently over Skyloft. Zelda stroked her loftwing, and smiled. "This is amazing," she said excitedly, practically bouncing as she stroked her loftwing. "Link, thank you for showing me this..."

* * *

**Six Years Later**

"Catch me if you can!"

Zelda's loftwing raced just over Link's head, managed grab him for a moment before dropping him right beside the jumping dock. He could hear Zelda's laughter as she ascended higher on her loftwing.

Link grinned and raced over the edge of the dock, calling his bird. Catching up to Zelda and her blue loftwing, he managed to tag her once before they both took a moment to rest. Link glance over at Zelda curiously.

"Well, what?" Zelda asked with a bright smile. "You need the flying practice! The Wing Ceremony is only in a few days, and you need to be ready! Now, race you to the Lumpy Pumpkin!"

With that, Zelda and her loftwing gracefully took off towards one of the flying islands on the horizon.

Link smiled and raced after her.


End file.
